Ontario’s Family Doctors-in-Training Are Leaving the Province

I am a resident physician in family medicine in my last year of training. Throughout my 13 years of postsecondary training I have had the opportunity to work closely with many different physicians in a variety of specialties, from many different backgrounds, with very different personalities, and at different stages in their lives.

One thing they all had in common was their unshakable commitment to their patients and their professional responsibilities. They routinely work 24 or more hours with few or no breaks to speak of, often neglecting their physical and mental well-being and families to help their patients who need them. As a resident, I aspire to care for my patients as well as my teachers and mentors do.

Unfortunately, it seems the current government does not share my respect for the commitment of Ontario physicians. It is no secret that our current health care system is suffering, butthe actions of our governmentwill only contribute to the problem: more people without a family doctor, longer wait times, more physician burnout.

The way to fix the system is to enlist the help of those on the front lines, engage the public in truthful dialogue about the issues and bring to light the wasteful and inefficient practices that have led us down this dangerous path to begin with.